Caesars Palace through its seemingly endless series of renovations and additions manages to represent both “Old Vegas” and “New Vegas”, all in a single property, Empire? VegasMavens.com

Caesars Palace Not Caesar’s Palace

Caesars Palace has no apostrophe, which was Jay Sarno’s way of telling all visitors, you’re a Caesar when you say at my hotel. A line of similar reasoning applies to the Las Vegas Review web site “Mavens Vegas”, presumably all visitors of mavensvegas.com are Mavens as to what Las Vegas has to offer.

From Harrahs Entertainment to Caesars Entertainment

Harrahs has long considered Caesars Palace its top Vegas property, with the company name change, it makes the pecking order official.

Kathryn LaTour, an associate professor of hospitality marketing at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said the name “Caesars” has far more high-end connotations than Harrah’s, which made its mark attracting midlevel gamblers. Las Vegas Review Journal November 23, 2010

Caesars Palaces’s market segment could probably be more accurately defined as: Masculine, Sports Obsessed “Cigar Comping” Serious Gambler with Significant Disposable Income. If you want to rub elbows with sports celebrities or sports celebrity gawkers then Caesars Palace is the casino for you.

Knowing a little about how Loveman views his customers, can make your visit to Caesars Palace more profitable, or at least less costly. As the Businessweek artcle says: “He sees his customers as a set of probabilities wrapped in human flesh.”

Spend a few days at a Harrah’s property, and the information the company compiles about you will end up here, analyzed by proprietary software that assigns each and every Harrah’s guest a theoretical value. The higher the value given to you—not to be misconstrued as a source of pride—the more likely you are to lose your money to Loveman.

When they say theoretical value above, they really mean theoretical loss. Theoretical loss is how much the casino expects you to lose. Understanding how casinos calculate “Theoretical Loss” is the key to minimizing loses at casinos. I explain how casinos calculate theoretical loss, and more importantly, how to use this to your advantage, in two previous posts on Vegas Mavens.

Greetings From Caesars Palace

Fountains at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas

Fronting Caesars Palace are the iconic fountains, the ones where Evel Knievel made his failed attempt to jump over them on a motorcycle in 1967. These are also the same fountains where Shecky Greene drove his car into and uttered the famous line “No spray wax” The same Shecky Greene that had as his opening act at the Last Frontier in 1956 some guy from Tupelo, Mississippi. Whatever became of that guy.

For instance, there was the time when, drunk, he drove his car into the Caesars Palace fountains and told the cop, “No spray wax.”Las Vegas Sun 12-26-96

Statue of Caesar

A life-sized statue of Caesar greets you at the entrance to Caesars Palace. There are also men and women dressed in Roman garb, that wander around the casino and pool area.

Caesars Palace Greeters

No Fig Leaf for “David”

There are other statues, besides Caesar, scattered around Caesars Palace, but one in particular is worth going out of your way to see. In the Appian Way Shops is a full sized replica of Michelangelo’s “David” Even though it is a replica, it is still impressive and big, roughly eighteen feet tall. Another replica of “David” was presented to Queen Victoria by the Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1857, Queen Victoria was so shocked by the nudity of the stature, a custom plaster Fig Leafwas designed to cover the offending part. Evidently sensibilities of Las Vegas are more open minded than Victorian England, as “David” is au naturel in The Appian Way.

Michelangelo's "David"

Sign for Michelangelo's "David"

Located adjacent to “David” are a handful of life-like statues that put a smile on the face of everyone that notices them. Note: Some of the statues are camera shy.

Neil Leifer’s Iconic Sports Photographs

Neil Leifer is widely considered one of the top, if not the top, sports photographers, ever. Visitors to Caesars Palace can view many of these iconic photographs at his gallery in the entrance to the Augustus Tower.The Tower built to compete against the opulent rooms at Bellagio and Venetian.

Leifer began his career as a professional sports photographer at 19, when Sports Illustrated put one of his photographs on the cover, the first of 170 Sports Illustrated covers. In 1978 Leifer switched the focus of his camera to Presidents and Actors, when he joined Time Magazine.

Leifer’s favorite subject was Muhammad Ali, and his most famous picture is the one shown below, where : “Ali stopped Liston with a single punch in the first round of the fight.”

Even non-sports enthusiasts will enjoy viewing Leifer’s collection of photographs, ands this being Vegas, they’re all for sale.

You can also buy a copy of one of his many books, “The Best Of Neil Leifer” has the Ali v. Liston photograph on the cover.

LeRoy Neiman “Gallery” in Caesars Palace Poker Room

The Poker Room is the largest in Vegas, 8,500 square feet plus an adjacent tournament room with another 6,000 square feet of room.

Caesars Palace Poker Room

Lining the walls of the Caesars Palace Poker Room are numerous LeRory Neiman paintings. If Neil Leifer is the most famous Sports Photographer, then LeRoy Neiman is perhaps th most famous Sports Artist.

Neiman worked as an illustrator for the department store Carson, Pirie, Scott & Co. in Chicago in the early 1950s, alongside a copywriter that later started a magazine. That copy writer was Hugh Hefner and that magazine was Playboy. Since Playboy’s earliest days, Neiman’s work has appeared frequently in Playboy, and still does.

Neiman’s paintings are characterized by their distinctive use of color.

Describing Neiman as “first and foremost a colorist,” Malcolm Lein wrote, “His tones are vivid, jarring, and at times, gaudily biting; they explode in an effusion of reds, blues, pinks, greens, and yellows; they shimmer and dance across the surface plane, electrified bits of pure energy.”

Caesars Palace Poker Room: LeRoy Neiman Painting

In American Artist, Neiman identified as the “prime objective” of his work the “phenomenon of change.” “The spectator looking at a painting of mine must deal with this condition of change. Areas are broken up at close range and fit together only at a distance…As one advances on my painting, it becomes more abstract, more fluid, and as one moves away, it falls into focus and is realistic…At no two distances will the painting appear the same.

Caesars Palace Poker Room: LeRoy Neiman Painting

LeRoy Neiman Painting: The Girls of Caesars Palace

LeRoy Neiman: Sign "Sic Bo Dealers"

While Neiman’s paintings in Caesars Palace’s Poker Room are not for sale, The Centaur Gallery in the Fashion Show Mall does sell his work.

Caesars Palace Forum Shops

Calling the shopping mall at Caesars Palace “The Forum Shops” is a rare example of understatement in Las Vegas. The Forum Shops is comprised of two large interconnected shopping Malls. The most recent addition added 175,000 square feet, including a three story spiral escalator.

The Forum Shops Spiral Escalator

The higher end stores tend to be concentrated in the new wing of the mall, along Las Vegas Boulevard, Harry Winston is in the new wing, The Gap is in the old wing. The kitsch shows are also in the old wing.

The Festival Fountain Show occurs on the hour, with the Bacchus Statue coming “alive” and serving as the central character, how Vegas appropriate, Bacchus is the Roman god of wine and intoxication.

Atlantis Show and Aquarium

The rise and fall of Atlantis, complete with fire, water and smoke plays out every hour, on the hour right in front of the Cheesecake Factory restaurant. Beneath the Atlantis set is a large 50,000 gallon salt-water aquarium. A diver feeds the fish at 1:15pm and 5:15pm everyday.

Caesars Palace Aquarium: Feeding Time

A Little Bit of San Simeon in Vegas

Caesars Palace has not one pool, not two pools, but six pools, at last count. William Randolph Hearst and Marion Davies would feel right at home here, with its San Simeonesque splendor.

Caesars Palace Pool

Caesars Palace offers you the opportunity to get soaked at the Blackjack Tables.

Caesars Palace Pool: Blackjack Table Built into Pool

Beijing Noodle No. 9 and Payard Patisserie & Bistro

There are many restaurants located throughout the vast Caesars Palace complex, but there are two that are worth checking-out for more than just a meal. Beijing Noodle No. 9 has the most amazing design, the aquarium walls are absolutely hypnotic.

As customers walk into the space, they will undergo the visually and physically “unblocked” entry experience, and are comfortably led past the sparkling aquarium tanks to the deep part of the restaurant. The gorgeous double-wall design features the elegant arabesque patterned layers, consisting of one woodland-patterned steel decorative surface above a painted similarly patterned solid back, with glossy finish. This design creates the arabesque shadow effect, and the wall continuously extends to be the ceiling, which generates a soft cocoon-like interior experience.Dezeen “Design Magazine” December 3, 2009

Beijing Noodle No.9 Aquariums

Payard Patisserie & Bistro is run by award winning pastry chef Francois Payard. As a side note, this is the Bistro that Brett Ottolenghi chose for us to eat lunch, because “The quality of the ingredients used in relation to the price is probably the best in deal in Vegas” high praise indeed, from person that knows something about quality ingredients.

Payard Pâtisserie & Bistro at Caesars Palace: Clock

Payard Pâtisserie & Bistro at Caesars Palace: Clock Sign

As noted in the sign above, a chocolate truffle is dropped from the Grandfather Clock every fifteen minutes.

The next time you’re in Las Vegas, why not take your own walk around the Palace, Caesar.

Chef Bryan Ogden, son of Bradley, refers to their cuisine as “Market Cuisine” as he explains focusing on what is fresh and in-season. A`signature dish is the Maytag Blue Cheese souffle. Review of Bradley Ogden

Lago Buffet

Less variety than most Vegas buffets, but the quality is above average although not at the same level as the top buffets. The dining room actually has windows, a rarity for Vegas buffets, and faces the pool area.Review of Lago Buffet

Hyakumi

Offers two distinct styles of Japanese cuisine: Teppanyaki and Sushi. Open for lunch and dinner. Review of Hyakumi

Mesa Grill

Bobby Flay, of Food Network fame is the high level chef here, meaning he won’t actually cook your dinner, but the dishes are his inspiration. Signature dishes include blue corn pancake with barbeque duck with habanero sauce. The cuisine is best described as Southwestern USA. Open for lunch and dinner. Was Michelin rated one star, but lost its star. Review of Mesa Grill

Neros

Specializing in prime 28 day dry-aged beef, but also serving a large selection of fresh fish and seafood. Open for dinner only. Review of Neros

Famous New York City transplant, a family business run by the Pellegrinos. Featuring Southern Italian cuisine prepared with the finest ingredients, such as San Marzano tomatoes, although one of the signature dishes is Uncle Vincent’s Famous Lemon Chicken. Review of Rao’s

Restaurant Guy Savoy

French cuisine. Although Guy Savoy has earned three Michelin Stars for his Paris restaurant, the Vegas location has garnered two Michelin Stars, still a laudable feat. The restaurant offers a series of ever more expensive tasting menus, starting at $140. Review of Restaurant Guy Savoy

Sea Harbour

Authentic Cantonese cuisine, with emphasis on authentic. An actual transplant from mainland China, where Sea Harbour has eight locations. Review of Sea Harbour

Serendipity 3

Another New York City transplant, located adjacent to the Strip. Serving sandwiches and dessert. Known for their “Frrrozen Hot Chocolate” (Their spelling and description) and their Golden Opulence Sundae for $1,000 (Which is a Guinness World Record Holder for most expensive dessert, evidently the 23-karat gold leaf adds to the cost. Review of Serendipity 3